Creed : Tribulation
by spareux
Summary: Creed : Tribulation. If I am frank, I want to keep the exact plot outline of this fiction a secret. However, I will reveal a few things about it. This is essentially an action / adventure fiction, with several elements of the supernatural included.
1. 0 : 0 Prologue

**Prologue**

Finding herself surrounded by the horrific stench of fear and coated in her own cold sweat, Erika Pressley awoke from her nightmarish endeavours to the dark, lonely interior of her bedroom.

Erika felt as if she had been placed in a great vice, and only her hard, heavy sighs pierced the silence of her apartment. The vision she had just experienced was truly terrifying: the mere thought of it made her heart race. However, she found that as she continually tried to recollect the events of her nightmare, it became a progressively harder task.

This was not uncommon for Erika. She had once guessed that she must have the same nightmare at least twice a month. But she could never recall what occurred. What was so terrifying? What was the vision that threw her heart into such erratic thumps of fear? She had absolutely no idea. She was certain it was the same, recurring nightmare - she at least had managed to remember that she was young, and that their seemed to be Pokemon involved. Those details were "so vague", however, as her colleagues had often pointed out, and the exact events of the dream danced on the outskirts of her memory, teasing her. But it _had_ to have been the same nightmare. It always instilled the same shock and horror in her, and the way in which it overwhelmed her senses was unmistakable.

There was another reason that assured her it was the same nightmare, but a reason that she could share with only five other people on the planet. The Creeds. Whenever she awoke, she would feel a burning sensation in her finger. Looking down at the two golden rings, something always caught her eye: for a few instances after she awoke, the Ruby and Emerald embedded in the rings would glisten beautifully, before returning to their regular state that the night's darkness commanded. On this night, Erika remembered her mother, many years ago, warning her of the dangers of wearing jewellery to bed - of the risk that one might cut one's circulation of. Erika cringed at the realisation that she had been disrespecting her mother for so long, but the circumstances were much different, and these rings could not simply be tossed aside for hours on end.

The burning pain in Erika's finger grew. _Odd, _she thought. The pain usually subsided after several seconds, but now minutes had passed and the pain was actually _increasing. _Having calmed down after her violent awakening, she stood up, and started towards her balcony door - she needed fresh air. The moment she reached for the handle, the small glow from the two jewels morphed rapidly into a spectacular display of unmatched red and green light. The burning was replaced by an irrefutable sense of warning in Erika's brain. She recoiled from the handle in surprise and fear - this sudden sense of foreboding troubled her.

She regained her form, and for a second time reached for the door. The jewels still shone, but after the door had opened, the beams of light retreated until even the small glimmer that Erika had initially observed was gone. Hurriedly, she looked left, right, and then centre; towards the grand, sprawling forest that lay a few hundred yards behind her apartment. She could not dismiss the worrying thought that some kind of shadow was looming over her. At first, she decided that such a "shadow" must be the delusional mystery of her nightmare.

_Or maybe I'm just delirious,_ she thought. _It was a long day yesterday and I've had barely any sleep._ Certain that her second train of thought was more comforting and more logical, she made her way back into her bedroom, not noticing the tiny glimmer that the jewels emitted when she did so.

~o-o~o~o~o~o~

Several hundred yards away from Erika Pressley's apartment, a middle-aged man watched from his eerie forest dwelling. He licked his lips at the sight of Erika, and patted the jagged Pokemon by his side. _You are truly a disgusting little creature_, he thought to himself as his crooked, charred hand stroked the wild raccoon-like Pokemon that had sidled over to him. He did not mean to call the Zigzagoon disgusting - he was in fact referring to Erika. His obsession, coupled with the mere glimpse of her tingled his every desire as sinister thoughts lapped over his brain like icy white fingernails. _But you have caused me great displeasures nonetheless. Your fancy lightshow won't be there forever._

He pulled out a piece of ripped, ancient parchment. It featured a large drawing that the man was very accustomed to: a hexagon surrounded by six identical triangles. The hexagon was split into six more inner triangles, connected by a circle in the centre of the hexagon, and seemingly random speckles floated aimlessly in the triangles. The man became enraged. The meaning of the circle and the dots - if a "meaning" even existed - was still a mystery to him, and his plans had been halted until said mystery was solved. Tired and irate, he smacked the Zigzagoon, and as it ran off with sobs of fear and pain, he returned to his home: deep in the forest, away from the world.


	2. 1 : 1 Of Nebiank

**Border Control - (1 : 1)**

"…_Dodge! …Punch!" What was the man shouting? His silly words were all muffled._

"_Hyper beam."_

_Erika screamed._

Erika woke up.

~o-o~o~o~o~o~

Platform Six of Nebiank Central Underground Station - the Cembille line - was moderately busy as its occupants awaited the 4:11 train out of Nebiank.

Upon hearing a myriad of clanging noises, the waiting people had hurriedly stood up and approached the edge of the platform. Expecting the usual orange-and-grey train to which they were accustomed, they were instead greeted with the most unusual of sights - a large Pokemon, drifting slowly and elegantly into the station with a few flaps of its enormous wings, a person on its back. Some of the passengers moved back, startled, while others simply gazed in confused Fearow came to a halt beside the platform before landing, and gave the people a quirky look. The strangest sight of all, however, was the man dismounting from the large Beak Pokemon. Donning a grey beanie-style hat with unkempt wavy hair protruding from beneath, his pocket-ridden jacket caused him to jingle when he hopped off the bird and started to walk. He approached the confused passengers, and simply returned their bewildered gaze as if nothing was wrong. He jingled over to the escalators, as the Fearow took flight once more and flew down the opposite side of the tunnel. Some of the more shocked passengers simply sat down uncomfortably and waited for their train once more, though some began to talk about the strange arrival. A Pokemon Ranger, who had witnessed all of this, stood up and frantically ran after the man - the event had been almost entrancing, and only now had he realised that this stranger had left.

~o-o~o~o~o~o~

Emerging into the intense sunlight that filtered into the illustrious Nebiank City Centre, Pokemon Ranger Dickson glanced around hurriedly, but could see only countless Pokemon Trainers, Pokemon, and shoppers. On days with such pleasant weather - and with many people beginning to depart work - the centre could easily be holding tens of thousands of people. Would he be able to find a single person amongst the crowd? Hastily, he chose a direction and ran. Shocked at his own luck, he spotted the man in the grey hat, but had to continue running as the stranger appeared to be in a hurry.

"Hey,_ you!_" shouted Dickson, panting. He remembered his manners - "Er.. Excuse me! Sir?". The man stopped and twirled awkwardly on the spot. He matched Dickson's gaze with his own, inquisitive stare from blue eyes that were overborne by light, cheeky eyebrows. For some reason, the man's apparent curiosity unnerved Dickson. "Eh, good day Sir… That was your Fearow, wasn't it?"

"Yes, yes it was, Mr…" the man leaned in and took a look at Dickson's badge. "Mr 'Pokemon Ranger Dickson'." He sounded very cynical.

Dickson was momentarily startled by the man's odd choice of hat. "Oh. I see. Well, do you think it is very conventional to _fly_ a Fearow into a subway station?" Today, he was going for an intellectual, tough approach.

"Are there laws against it?" asked the man.

"I-I don't believe so…" Dickson realised how silly he must've sounded. Some people had now stopped to watch the conversation.

"Well then have a nice day." The man began strolling off again.

"Wait, I'm not done with you!" Dickson reproached the man, and this time he looked irritated.

"What now?" He pulled a device from one of his many pockets, and inspected something on it with an apparent sneer.

"Well, aside from the fact I should really charge you with public endangerment and breach of the peace, won't your Fearow get lost?"

The man pocketed the device. "I shouldn't think so."

Stalemate. The conversation reached a complete standstill, and for some reason Dickson found this man's presence menacing. The amalgamation of his ungainly appearance with his punctual accent threw Dickson's senses off. He observed the cluttered "trainer's belt" hanging around the man's waste, and recoiled in horror at one of the objects.

"What on Earth is _that?!_" screamed Dickson. He pointed to a holster that held a rather small gun.

The man pulled the gun out swiftly from its holster with a click. "This?" he asked, and Ed cowered. "Toys - gifts..." Dickson gave him a dubious look. "For my nephew! Bloody little rascal he is. Obsessed with cowboys. Lovely boy though. Very academically accelerated."

"I see…" replied the Ranger. He remembered he was in a busy high street, as now many people had stopped to stare, curious about why he was questioning this man. Some of them were laughing, clearly amused by Dickson's dysfunctional antics. He decided to attempt a speedy recovery.

"Well then! Sorry for the inconvenience, and welcome to Nebiank, Mr…?"

"Cherry," said the man, quickly walking off.

The Ranger turned around, red-faced, and scowled at the crowd before scurrying off.

~o-o~o~o~o~o~

As far as he was aware, the "glamorous city of Nebiank" had not changed much since Ross Cerward's last visit. A few more needlessly tall "modern" buildings and pointless trainer shops, the occasional battle being supervised on the street… the generic gang of conspicuous looking youths - yes, it was all the same really. That, and the abundant and irksome law enforcement.

The Rangers were really the worst: if someone was to take a job in such a "noble" a field as the services, they should at least be brave - Ross had once stated that "nine out of ten Rangers are prepubescent tattle-tales who merely draw in the attention of more dangerous authorities and adversaries - like bird poo, they are everywhere, but best avoided."Wanting to avoid the attention he seemed to be attracting in the main street, Ross took to a side lane that meandered its way north into town. The smell was awful, but Ross did not want unwanted attention from the authorities on his first day in Nebiank. Already that Ranger had had looked him up and down, trying to store what he looked like for later use - Ross could tell, he'd seen that look before. Now, the longer he stayed in the city, the higher the chance someone would come looking for him - or at least, come looking for "_Mr Cherry_".

~o-o~o~o~o~o~

Erika's ring still burned.

She had taken time out of her day to go for a "luxurious" (or so she had promised herself) stroll around Nebiank's finest department stores and had taken her Pokemon for a walk in the park - but still she was agitated. She still felt restless from last night's second rude awakening that had revealed a tiny tid-bit of information: a Pokemon had used Hyper Beam, and she had screamed.

Staggering through the streets, exhausted from her lack of sleep, busy day and the sheer heat of the sun, Erika mused that at least her night would be more relaxing than her day out.

The ring still burned.

_What's wrong with you?_

~o-o~o~o~o~o~

Ross had become lost in a spider's web of side streets, and had been wandering for nearly an hour, now confident he was going round in circles. The only people he had passed were some battlers further down, who had given him an alien stare as he passed. Trying to collect his senses, he sat on the kerb at the side of the street for a few minutes. This bloody city never does change, he thought. No matter how long you live here, you'll always find some new way to get lost… _Nebiank, City of Side-streets_. Alright, I'll just go back out into the street and take a train to Palipolis or something…

Hearing heavy footsteps, Ross looked up suddenly, and saw two police officers accompanying a familiar Pokemon Ranger as the trio ran up the path.

Dickson raised a shaky finger. "That's him!" he said, his voice drowned in quaking nervousness.

"Yeah, that's him all right - I don't think any two people would match _that_ description," shouted a surly voiced policeman. Ross took offence at this.

"I'll have you know I have an item from every region of the Pokemon-ing world! Except Foretree… bunch of in-breds. Yuck."

The officer spoke into his transmitter: "We've got the guy that stole the Fearow. Flew into our city on it. Repeat, we've got him."

Ross frowned at the officers. "Oops. I suppose you aren't just fashion police then?" He stood up shakily, stared at the officers for a moment, and then began to run. It was an awkward run, hindered by his belt's strange ensemble, but fast nonetheless. The police quickly pursued him, but as they began to run, Ross knocked over several rubbish bins, hindering their paths. The only sound louder than their cries of anger were Ross' strange cries of fear.

~o-o~o~o~o~o~

Erika, in her quest to get home quickly, had decided to cut through a few alleys to reach a station and avoid the bustle of the rush-hour crowds. She would be home soon, and she could collapse in front of the TV onto a comfy sofa - but the ring still burned."Seriously, what the hell is wrong?!" she shouted at herself. She felt silly afterwards, and shook her head in dismay.

Approaching a "conjunction" of four alleys, coated in dropped leaflets and dustbins, she did not manage to turn the corner before being struck down to the ground.

~o-o~o~o~o~o~

"Crap!" Ross cursed. He stood up and looked at the ground. There was a brown haired woman before him, staring up at him angrily. "Oh, hello, I've landed on someone." He offered her a hand, but she stood up without it. "And what a shame it would've been if I'd damaged you!" He looked her up and down. She was a young thing, possibly mid-twenties, with wavy brown hair and a very defined torso.

She glared at him angrily. "Yes, thanks for that. You really should watch where you're going!" she shouted, but Ross merely gave her a smile.

"I apologise, miss, I was in a hurry of sorts!" He smiled again, but she simply gave him a dubious look. Looking at her once more, he noticed a small glimmer on her finger. "Wow, nice

ring…"

Something tightened its grip around Erika. The memory flooded back to her - it was instantaneous, brief but precise. The smoke, the battling… those words. She squinted at him, focusing her hazel eyes on his face stubbly face.

"Do I know you?" she asked. The man was so familiar, and about her age - but she was certain she had never met him before. How did she remember him?

"No," he replied with a grin, "but would you like to?" Erika did not have time to sigh at the man's obvious flirting.

A perfect world has no need for Gods.

The words screeched through her ears with devastating speed. She inspected the man's face again - had he heard those words? It didn't seem like it.

"Are you alright?" he asked, noticing the Erika's baffled face.

"What's that noise?" Erika warped back into reality, but it was not the voice's words she was asking about. She could here shouting, and footsteps.

The man's face fell. "Well, lovely meeting you but time flies!" he said. However, before he had a chance to make a getaway, two policeman and a Pokemon Ranger came into view.

"So," cried the more burly of the two, panting, "you have a female accomplice!"

Erika gave them a blank stare, lost for words.

"Don't play dumb," continued the officer, oblivious to Erika's obvious dismay and confusion. "And now, Mr and Mrs Cherry, it's time for you to come with us."

"Who the hell are you talking… oh right." _The Cherry thing._ Ross sighed.

At that, the policemen reached into their pockets. However, Erika was the faster: she had already thrown her Pokeball into the air.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Erika's Monferno emerged from the Poke Ball in a sharp explosion of red light. The fiery orange primate giggled from beneath its blue mask as the officer's Growlithe emerged from their own Pokeballs. The red canines growled at Monferno, their royal cream fur standing on edge, ready for battle. Monferno simply continued to laugh.

Ross now contributed his own Pokemon to the scene. As the black and red Luxury Ball exploded above their heads, its beam of hot, white energy took the shape of a humanoid Pokemon. Ross' Medicham stood, its pale hands placed together and its red body appendages motionless as it calmly awaited an order.

"Nice," commented Ross to Erika. "So you're willing to fight them with me? Why?"

"I'm not helping you!" retorted Erika. "But I am _not_ in the mood to be taken to a police station for being seen with a stranger. If they want a battle, they'll get one."

"So be it." stated one officer. "Growlithe, Bite!"

"Medicham, Force Palm!"

As the snarling Growlithe dived at Monferno, Medicham stepped into the line of fire. Placing his hands in a curved shape, he aimed them at the Growlithe, and violently lifted his head upwards. The Growlithe were immediately thrown backwards through the air towards their owners as a violent gust of cylindrical wind lashed up a cloud of dust and litter with a tremendous booming sound. Fore Palm was a relatively new technique Ross had taught Medicham, but even before now, it had proved to be invaluable. Erika seemed unimpressed as the Growlithe regained their form and once again made for Monferno. This time, one of them managed to land a bite on Monferno's arm: however, the strong monkey Pokemon simply swatted it off with a lightning-fast Mach Punch.

"Monferno," Erika called, "Close Combat!" Monferno danced happily over to the Growlithe, waving its arms with an awkward gait and singing cheerfully. This confused them - and, in that instance of confusion, Monferno struck. It span around, mid-flight, as it delivered a powerful punch to the Growlithe on its left and a swift kick to the Growlithe on its right. Both Pokemon were sent flying once again, and this time did not stand up - they simply cowered and sobbed. By this point, the terrified and Pokemon-less Dickson had made a sharp exit.

Erika had no time to celebrate her victory. One of the policeman had approached her from behind and had viciously struck her in the side with his baton. She fell to the ground in pain, and rolled over to see the man towering over her. He was about to strike her again, but the stranger's Medicham had used his Force Pulse once more to knock over the officer.

Ross ran over to her, and helped her up. He grabbed her hand, but instantly let go as a sharp pain conducted itself up his arm. Red auroras had sprang from one of Erika's rings the minute the man had touched them. Both she and he stared at the lights in awe and horror. Amid shock, noise, lights and pain, a fifth voice cut through the scene.

"Gust." It came from above. Erika, Ross and the officers all looked up. A huge twister of dust was whipped up, and the officers and their respective Pokemon were blown even further away than before. Ross, too, was blown away, and his Medicham followed suit, unable to withstand the powerful attack. The red lights dissipated. A massive, green-winged Pokemon came into view, and Erika realised who this particular Tropius belonged to.

"Taylor!" she cried.

"Lucky I was in the area, Erika," he replied. The Tropius landed with a great thump, and the man who was presumably Taylor allowed her and Monferno to climb onto his Tropius' back. Erika greeted the handsome, dark-haired man with a hug. The dinosaur-like creature looked delighted to see the pair: indeed, small tears were forming in its eyes as it laughed jovially. Immediately, it flapped its titanic wings and took to the sky once more.

"Oh no you don't!" cried Ross. "Medicham, use your Fire Punch!" Medicham lifted his fist towards the sky. A great, fiery force blasted itself from his arm, and the recoil caused him to shudder. The fireball flew into the sky, but the Tropius had already moved. Seemingly uninterested in Medicham's attack, the Pokemon continued towards its destination.

Ross stared at the Tropius as it flew out of sight. He tried to picture the golden ring that had emitted the red beacon after he touched it. He knew that the woman - this "Erika" - would have no idea that he understood the significance of the light. However, he did not know that she also understood said significance. _So they do exist…_ He observed the device from his pocket briefly once more, as Medicham joined him in his aimless gazing towards the sky. Realising that he was once again lost and now considerably more bruised and bewildered, Ross grunted.

"How rude of them." He then stormed off down an alleyway with Medicham following obediently, with a new line of thought and a new destination.


End file.
